The rebuild is in full effect for the Detroit Tigers. And with a 5-1 loss in the season finale against the playoff-bound Minnesota Twins on Sunday, Detroit owns the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s amateur draft.
It’s impossible to predict what will happen this offseason and what the team will look like come Opening Day next year. But the first order of business for the Tigers will be finding a new manager.
Tentatively, general manager Al Avila has set a timetable for naming the team’s new manager.
Ideally, Avila said he'd like to have a manager hired by end of October.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) October 1, 2017
Tigers GM Al Avila said he has completed interviews with internal candidates for mgr. Will start interviewing outside candidates next week.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) October 1, 2017
The team announced last week that the often embattled and ridiculed Brad Ausmus would no longer serve as the skipper beyond this season. Ausmus in his four seasons will finish with a record of 314-332.
So who might be some potential candidates to manage the Tigers? Well as Jason Beck points out, Avila has concluding interviewing some in-house options. Some names that have been floated around include current hitting and bench coach Lloyd McClendon and third base coach Dave Clark. First base coach Omar Vizquel is a name that has also generated a lot of interest, particularly amongst the fans.
It was reported last week that a former Tiger player and former minor league manager in the Tigers’ system, Phil Nevin, has been dubbed a “strong candidate” by some. Nevin, who is currently on Bruce Bochy’s staff with the San Francisco Giants, served as manager for the Erie SeaWolves (Double-A for DET) in 2010 then held the same role with the Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A for DET) from 2011-13.
